A Fortuitous Infatuation (REVAMPED!)
by Paradisiac Megane
Summary: A Revamp of my very first fanfiction, A Fortuitous Infatuation. I'm not good at summaries...So yeah. Here I go: A fox and a hound, meeting under the queerest of circumstances. Many things can happen from A Fortuitous Infatuation.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: So as you know, I own nothing related to Inuyasha. NOTHING.

So, I know I talked about this years ago, but I'm finally getting back into the whole writing thing and I decided to start simple with a fanfiction. So, faithful and new readers, welcome to the revamping of A Fortuitous Infatuation. I'm sure it'll be better than the blasphemy I wrote back in middle school during my weeaboo faggotry days. So without further ado…

\- - A - - - F - - - I - -

She could feel him before she actually saw him. He was maybe a little over four miles away, slowed down enough by her head start and the wide expanse of the sea behind her. Even with the slight advantage, his age and experience was enough of a liability to her escape. He would catch up with her soon.

Her tapered ears flicked ever-so slightly backwards, catching his voice on the afternoon breeze.

"Milady, please come back! Your father only wants what is best for you!"

She couldn't help but to hesitate at his words, only for a moment at the side of an enormous tree. So it was actually true, she mused, her father _did_ plan all of this and he had even sent her teacher after her! She frowned, but her thoughts were short-lived as she snapped back into reality at the sound of her teacher's voice. This time, right behind her.

"Lady Rei," his hand touched her shoulder gently. "I had hoped you would understand."

A pause. "Yes, I do," She moved from under his grasp and looked up at her teacher. A tall wolf demon dressed in a kimono of dark silks and furs, his mere presence was intimidating. Nevertheless… "Forgive me, Master Li."

In the blink of an eye, Rei shot her bared claws forward, striking her teacher in the abdomen and leaping backwards as he was sent sliding back from her. Though she put some distance between the two of them, unfortunately her attack left the older demon unfazed, his claws reaching out to grab her own in a flash and flinging her into a tree.

She didn't even have the pleasure of reaching the ground before he pounced on her once again, his forearm digging into her collarbone, securing her in place while the other dug into her chest. She could feel the poison slowly creeping into her veins and it wouldn't be long until he knocked her out.

"You must forgive me, my lady. I had hoped it would not come to this…however, I have my orders."

Rei grimaced as his fingers dug deeper into her flesh; she could feel something warm dripping down her stomach. Blood. Her eyesight was starting to blur and she could feel her heart rate slowing, it was becoming hard to breathe. "S-Shall I take a guess…by any means necessary, y-yes?"

"…Yes."

Li sighed, his grip on her slacking. This is what she wanted. As he relaxed his hold on her, Rei snuck her hands behind her, sinking her claws deep into the bark. If that was really how her father wanted to play, she was going to play. Hard.

"Fox fire…" she muttered, soft enough that Li even had to strain his ears to hear.

"What did you just...? Rei, NO!"

It was too late. He could do nothing but leap away when she suddenly became enveloped in the fire of her fox magic, cradling his burnt arm. She flung herself headfirst through the tree, using the momentum to back flip through the foliage and make her escape. She didn't manage to get very far before she felt the crippling pain from her abdomen. The bleeding was worse now; she could see the crimson trail she was leaving behind her. Li would reach her again in no time.

She glanced behind her, surprised and a bit suspicious that her teacher was nowhere to be seen. Then, she heard him again. This time, his voice seemed to be laughing.

"I wasn't expecting you to come quietly, but you've really done a number on me! Good luck, my lady, you are out of my jurisdiction and therefore you are on your own. I hope that you will not get into too much trouble. Oh, and I would patch up that injury. It looks bad."

Rei glowered in the direction of the voice, though a small smirk managed to find its way onto her lips as she turned to continue through the trees. "What a lovely thing to say. I'll have to remember to thank Master when I see him again."

\- - A - - - F - - - I - -

"So, this is what he meant by 'out of his jurisdiction.'"

Rei dizzily plopped down next to a boulder, wincing as she clutched her chest tightly. She had bandaged her wound to the best of her abilities, but Master Li was thorough. Surviving this wasn't going to be easy, she was going to need medicine to counteract the effects of the poison. She looked around, looking for anything that could help to ease the pain. No such luck. She sighed, leaning against the rock and peering through the trees. There didn't seem to be anything around that could be of use to her and she had no idea where she was. Not only was she completely out of familiar territory, but the local flora in the area was unfamiliar to her.

"Betrayed, injured, lost, and it will be dark soon. This is turning out to be a wonderful day…" Rei chuckled, sucking in a painful breath.

She knew she had to keep moving. Staying still would slow down the poison, but it wouldn't help her condition improve. If she moved too much, the poison would go through her bloodstream faster, and that wasn't good either. _Which way to die?_ With a smile, she stood, shakily, brushing the dirt from her kimono and proceeded to stagger on deeper into the woods. There had to be something she could use to help. Her Master would have healed her once they got back to the castle, but with what?

Looking around, she couldn't find anything that looked remotely familiar to what she had seen her Master use, but then again, she never really paid that much attention. _Such a good pupil._ Rei shut her eyes as another wave of dizziness took her, leaning against a tree until it passed while she tried to find a solution.

Master Li had done this to her a few times before, injuring her in some sort of way to try and get her to figure out how to save herself. "You're leg is broken, what would you do?" He would say, leaving her to find a solution. Sometimes he would actually follow through with the situations and injure her himself. Nothing too bad though, only things that would heal quickly and leave no marks. "His Lordship would be upset with me if his precious daughter was bruised in some way." Then, he would show her how to hide the ones she had gotten.

Opening one eye, she peered at the ground around her, trying to find the something to use, something that looked familiar.

"What was it that he used?" Thinking out loud was one way to get answers. "Good for….bleeding…cuts…poison, I hope. It begins with an A…A something."

She took a few steps, still keeping the one eye open, looking around at her feet. After a few feet, she finally saw it. In a small clearing next to a large oak tree, grew a wide range of flowers and grasses, but there was one she recognized.

"Agrimony."

She lurched forward, falling hands-first, and reached for the greenery, pulling up tufts of the flowers. She smiled and pulled it close to her face, smelling the sharp leaves. _Perfect._ She thought as she shifted through the grass for something else that could be useful. This was turning out to be her lucky day, along with the agrimony; she also found another herb for poison. She could never remember the name for it, but she knew the smell, a fresh, airy sort of smell.

Plucking the leaves off, Rei laid the seeds of the second plant down beside her and reached for the tree to tear off a piece of the bark. She deftly cut the flower into pieces with a claw and placed them on top of the bark with the seeds, mashing them together with a nearby stone. Once it was formed into a paste, she slowly pulled away the makeshift bandages from her stomach, sliding the lapels of her kimono aside, and carefully applied the mixture to it with a sigh of relief as the pain slowly ebbed away. When she was finished, she retied the bandages and leaned back against the tree. _Now what?_ Her injury was fixed for the time being, but now she had no idea what to do next. _I just need to find out where—_

Her thoughts were cut short as her ears caught the rustling of leaves in the distance. She snapped her head in the direction of the noise, lifting her nose to smell the scents of her intruders. _Dog…demonic…and humans. Two male, two female. I need to move._ She snapped to her feet, reeling as she stood, eyes searching for a place to hide. She was in no condition to fight or run and was still going through the effects of the poison.

"-sure it's this way, Inuyasha? It's been hours!"

Rei caught the voice on the breeze. She had to move. Now. Slowly, she dragged herself up the tall tree behind her, scrambling to the highest branch to get a good look. She could see them now; they were closer than she actually thought. _A half-demon? Interesting._ She could see the half-demons' ears flicking gently as he sniffed the air, quickly approaching her position with the humans following closely behind. She shut her eyes as her vision blurred slightly, shaking her head. _Focus, focus. What are they doing?_

"I know it's around here somewhere. The scent of blood's getting stronger…" The half-demon replied as he leapt through the trees. The humans behind him seemed to be annoyed with him, but continued to follow him, making their way more carefully through the woods.

"What do you think it is?" The shorter female spoke this time. _Such strange clothing…_ She turned to the taller one, a demon slayer by look of the garb.

"Well, Inuyasha said the blood was from a demon, so there's that. All we can hope is that it's friendly."

The man next to her laughed. A monk, his beads clacked as he laughed. "If we're lucky."

Rei shook her head again as her vision suddenly blurred again, this time making her visitors imperceptible. She nearly fell from the tree when an explosion of pain shot up her abdomen and into her chest. _W-What is happening? W-_ This time the pain sent her tumbling out of the tree where she landed hard on her shoulder, her head bouncing against the hard dirt. She could hear the crack of bone as she landed, sucking in a cry of pain.

"Quick, over there, Inuyasha! I saw someone fall!"

Rei groaned, attempting to drag herself somewhere safe, her heart racing with panic. _They could be like the ones Father talked about, only after my head for money._ That wasn't about to happen. She dug her claws into the dirt, gasping through the pain as it continued to move throughout her body, dragging herself closer to the brush in the distance. If she could just get there, she could hide and maybe escape.

"Oh no," a voice gasped. "She's hurt!"

_No._

Rei saw a pair of bare feet land in her way and cringed backwards, drawing herself up as best as she could in defense and protecting her wound with her hand. Though her vision was blurred and slowly fading, she held herself up to get a look at her enemies. She recognized the person belonging to the bare feet, sniffing the air for confirmation. The half-demon. She wobbled lightly as she glanced over at the others, unable to tell them apart. Rei knew they were the humans, but which was the demon slayer? She had heard of what they did to demons when they encountered them. The half-demon must be some sort of…pet to them. She was _not_ going to end up the same way.

"Inuyasha, we need to help her!" The green blob said.

"Don't come near me!" Rei snapped, taking a shaky step back.

The humans took a step closer. Rei bared her claws and fangs, hissing sharply. She took another step back, this time falling hard to her knee in with a painful cry.

"We need to stop the blood, there's too much…" This time the purple blob spoke, stepping toward her.

Rei looked down at her stomach, lifting her hand to see it black with tainted blood. Her eyes fluttered closed as another spasm of pain shook through her, teetering towards the ground. She didn't feel herself hit the ground; instead she landed on something soft. She sniffed the air lightly. The dog.

"It's infected. We need to take her back." His chest rumbled in her ear as he spoke.

She felt herself being picked up gently and cradled in the dog's arms. _Did I…get it wrong…? Nonononononono…_

"….no….please…" She murmured. Then, everything went black.

\- - A - - - F - - - I - -

"-asleep for so long. When do you think she'll wake up, Kaede?"

"I do not know, Shippo. Sometimes ye must rest in order to heal, it will take time."

"I hope it doesn't take much longer…"

"Time will only tell, little one. Come, she will need more medicine when she wakes."

Rei listened as the two left, the door flapping shut behind them. She waited until she could no longer hear their footsteps before she slowly sat up, cringing slightly in pain. She blinked slowly, waiting for her eyes to focus, and took a look around her. She was in a simple hut, in a human village by the smell of it, filled with an assortment of medicines, plants, jars, and a few futons including the one she was sitting in. A small fire crackled in the center, warming the tiny room. It was…cozy.

_Why bring me back?_ She lifted her arms and looked down; examining the brand new kimono she had so graciously been clothed in. Opening it slightly, she saw that even her wound had been bandaged again. _And save me as well…_ She shook her head, brushing away the thought. _No. I know their kind. I need to leave._

Bracing herself against the wall, Rei shakily slid to her feet. She took a breath and proceeded to the door, pausing for a moment to listen for her captors. Nothing. Smiling, she left the hut and edged around its perimeter, all the while getting a good look at her surroundings. The village was a small one, filled with a smattering of huts and hovels. It was a simple place, filled with farmers and their families. An unassuming place. _Just like they would have me think._

In the distance, Rei spotted the forest that she hoped she had come from. _Freedom._ She smiled at the thought and stumbled towards the trees, grimacing with discomfort as she dodged and darted to safety. Or so she thought.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

Rei faltered, spinning around quickly to find herself face to face with a red hakama-covered chest. Looking up, she saw the all-too-familiar white hair and canine ears of her half-demon captor. He didn't seem too pleased to see her, a look of frustration on his face combined with hands balled into fists on his hips solidifying that fact.

"Ah…" Her voice betrayed her, coming out as a whimper. She took a step back and straightened herself, trying to at least match the height of the angry demon. "If you must know, I am escaping." She said matter-of-factly, placing her own hands on her hips.

The dog demon's eyebrow lifted slightly in surprise. "Escaping?"

"Yes."

"You're serious."

"I am."

"Little bit ungrateful, don't you think?"

Now it was Rei's turn to be surprised. Ungrateful? Why should she be ungrateful? She was a hostage, being held captive against her will! Ungrateful? No. "Why should I be grateful to my kidnappers? While I appreciate the attention to my injury, I will not let myself remain a captive any longer, a slave to your whims."

"Kidnappers?" The half-demon crossed his arms and sighed. "Pretty sure we saved you, woman, so a little gratitude would be great."

Rei took another step back, bristling. "Gratitude?! Never! You kidnapped me, held me against my will, and are going to do who knows what with me! I will not let that happen!"

The half-demon sighed again, stepping towards Rei with a quickness that caught her by surprise and threw her unceremoniously over his shoulder. Ignoring her cries and insults, he adjusted her on his shoulder and begun to walk back to the village. "I can't take much more of this. We're going back; maybe Kagome or Kaede can talk some sense into you before you get yourself killed."

"HOW DARE YOU? PUT ME DOWN YOU BEAST! I COMMAND IT, PUT ME DOWN!"

"Yeah yeah, soon. Maybe then you can give us some answers."


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: So as you know, I own nothing related to Inuyasha. NOTHING.

So, I know I talked about this years ago, but I'm finally getting back into the whole writing thing and I decided to start simple with a fanfiction. So, faithful and new readers, welcome to the revamping of A Fortuitous Infatuation. I'm sure it'll be better than the blasphemy I wrote back in middle school during my weeaboo days. So without further ado…

\- - A - - - F - - - I - -

"You will never get away with this."

Rei sat with a pout on her lips as the oddly-dressed girl and older woman finished reapplying her bandages after she had ruined them in her scuffle with Inuyasha. Her return back to the hut was an anger-filled one, and after a few nasty words shared between Inuyasha and herself, both were sitting on opposite sides of the hut, simmering.

Kagome sighed. "For the last time, I promise you. WE. AREN'T. KIDNAPPERS."

"If we were, we sure wouldn't want some stupid girl…" Inuyasha muttered, scratching the side of his face lazily. He was silenced as a multitude of glares were shot in his direction, sliding into his own sulk with a discontented mumble.

"If…If you are not kidnappers, then what reason could you possibly have for helping me?" Rei asked, leaning back to rest against the cool wood of the hut as her newly-bandaged chest throbbed softly.

"We couldn't just leave you there, you were hurt."

"Only a fool would help someone they do not even know."

The oddly-dressed girl smiled brightly. "I suppose we're fools then, aren't we?"

Rei stared at the girl and her companions as they, aside from the grumpy half-demon, all grinned at her. "Just who are you people?"

"Oh! We never did introduce ourselves, did we? I'm Kagome," the oddly-dressed girl pointed to herself, then continued to motion around the room at the others. "This is Sango, Miroku, Kaede, Shippo, and well, you've met Inuyasha."

Rei followed Kagome's hand as it pointed to each member of the group, finally being able to commit them to memory now that she had a face to put with the smells from earlier. She gave Kagome an extra hard look, taking in her strange garb that was completely different from the rest of her companions. Her kimono was a short one, a lovely shade of green, almost as dark as the trees in her homeland. The rest of it was white with the occasional strip of the same green and a large red bow tied around her neck. Interesting. Rei then moved to the others, glad to see that they, at least, knew how to properly dress.

Sango, was dressed in a simple kimono, but the telltale garb of the demon slayer could be seen peeking out from her collar and beneath her sleeves. Even without seeing the uniform, her smell was similar to the other demon slayers who had been unfortunate enough to cross her father and the weapon leaning on the wall behind her, an enormous boomerang, also reeked with the smell of demon bones, purified, but demons nontheless. The monk, Miroku, was obvious, his clothing a dead giveaway. Her eyes lingered on the rosary around his hand, securing a purple cloth in place around his palm, before they moved to the oldest member of the group, the priestess Kaede, faltering slightly on the metal plate that covered her right eye. She allowed herself to nod in thanks to the older woman, grateful for her help in taking care of her injuries, gaining one in return. Then, she turned to the smallest of the group and gasped. "You're a fox demon!"

The little one, Shippo, half-smiled and nodded, slightly unnerved at her sudden explosion. "Yeah, and before you ask, no, I wasn't kidnapped nor am I a hostage. These guys are my friends."

"Friends…with humans?" Rei muttered softly.

"Not all of us are human." Inuyasha quipped from his corner.

"I am sure I was not speaking to you, mutt," Rei shot back at him vehemently, turning back to Shippo and the others. "This is…an interesting group. But, if the little one is fine with you all, then I am as well."

A collective sigh was released from the human portion of the group. "Great, so now that that's all out of the way, what happened to you?" Sango motioned towards Rei's injury.

"Ah," Rei started, hesitating to tell them her full story. Despite their kindness, she still couldn't help but remember her father's warnings. _Nothing good will ever come out of dealing with outsiders. Once they know who you are, they will never stop trying to use you for their own aims. That is why you must never leave the Gates, Rei. Promise me._ She hadn't understood what he meant fully, so it was easy to promise something so simple back then. She had everything she could ever need at home, why would she ever want to leave? She cleared her throat. "I was simply careless and thought that I knew how to handle a poisoned injury. Clearly, I was wrong." She managed a wry smile.

"Clearly." Came a low grumble from across the room, low enough for only Rei to hear.

Before Rei could react, the monk this time stood, bowing slightly. "Well, I'm glad that we were able to be of some assistance. So, I don't believe we ever got your name, Miss…?"

She wavered before smiling softly. "Rei."

What happened next caught her completely off guard. In an instant, the monk was kneeled in front of her, grasping her hand gently in both of his, his lips pressed tenderly against her skin. "Ah, a beautiful name! Rei, a name of multiple, yet equally lovely, meanings. Now, Miss Rei, I do have one question for you," He smiled as her eyebrow arched in confusion, holding her hand tighter as she gently, yet firmly, tried to take it back. "Would you do me the great honor of bearing my childr—"

Before he could finish, the familiar bone boomerang slammed on top of his head, the whistle of it slicing through the air delayed with the fierce quickness of the attack. Rei blinked as Miroku slid to the floor, revealing the seething form of Sango behind him, swinging the boomerang back to its place behind her. "Pervert! What'd I tell you about that?" She smiled apologetically at Rei's stunned face and pulled the unconscious monk beside her, giving him a swift kick as further chastisement.

"Um…."

"Ignore him." The demon slayer said shortly. The others chuckled softly. Apparently this was a common occurrence.

Rei was silent for a moment, then slowly rose to her feet, raising her hand to stop Kagome and Sango as they quickly stood to help her. "I…I think I will head back now. I appreciate all of your help, but I should really be on my way." She braced herself against the wall, ignoring her body's screams of pain as the bandages dug into her skin, setting her chest on fire.

"Ye won't get far with the poison still within ye," This time it was the old priestess, Kaede, who spoke up. Rei had completely forgotten about her. She had been silent this entire time, seemingly taking in everything that had been said. All eyes fell upon her as she nonchalantly stoked the fire, pulling a long pipe from the cupboard beside her and lighting it. She put it took her lips and took a long draught of the tobacco, almost thoughtfully, before she blew it out in a puff of smoke.

Rei crossed her arms across her chest, brazenly, careful of her injuries. "Silly old woman, I am a full demon, this is nothing to a being like me. My shoulder has already healed, as you can see, and without your help. Neither broken bones nor poison can stop me for long."

Kaede laughed, blowing out another puff of smoke. "An old woman I may be, but I am far from silly. Ye are right about your broken bones healing quickly, but that is to be expected with your powerful demon blood. However, this poison is not something to be trifled with. Whoever did this to ye used something very potent and your…attempt at patching it up did not help either. Yew and pieris are a deadly combination, if ye were a human, ye would be dead in minutes."

Rei felt a shiver run down her spine and touched her chest gently. "N-nevertheless, I can still take care of myself, I'll be fine."

"Why don't you prove it?"

Inuyasha sat up from his corner of the room, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips. His gold eyes met Rei's green ones, locking them into a death stare.

"What do you mean?" She asked, forcing herself to stand up straighter.

"Simple. Prove to us that you can take care of yourself. Clearly you can handle something as easy as a hole in your chest and a little bit of poison, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Kagome shot a dark look at her half-demon companion. "Inuyasha…" She warned.

Rei smiled, ignoring the girl. "Right. But be warned, I was trained by the best. There's no way some mutt can beat me."

"This mutt'll beat you to a pulp, fox!" Inuyasha snapped, standing and in front of her, forcing her to look up to hold his gaze.

"Ha! As if you could compare to a full demon."

"We'll see, won't we?"

"We will, indeed. I just hope you won't be too sore when I defeat you. I'll make sure to step on your corpse when I leave."

"Bring it on."

\- - A - - - F - - - I - -

Rei slammed into the ground with a cry of pain, blood spurting from her mouth as she felt the air leave her lungs. Inuyasha's bare foot rested on her abdomen, pressing her harder into the dirt. He leaned over, a smirk mockingly placed on his lips, and flicked her forehead gently. "So much for your full demon powers, huh?"

"That's enough, Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice called from somewhere in the distance.

"N-No…" Rei groaned, struggling to rise only to be forced back down by Inuyasha's foot. "I…am not…done yet, mutt…"

She felt Inuyasha's foot leave her stomach as he turned to walk away with a laugh. "Clearly you are, fox." She dug her fingers in the ground, trying her hardest to will herself to her feet. _Get up…get up get up get up! _Every slight effort made her body scream in pain, but she had to get up, she just had to! _Why is this happening?_ "Why…whywhywhy…" Her words slipped from her lips in a quiet moan. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, then another one. She sucked in a shaky breath, trying her best to hold them back, but was unable to hold the sob that echoed when she let it go, tears running freely down her cheeks.

"C'mon, Rei…let's get you back to Kaede's…"

Rei turned her head at the gentle touch of Kagome's fingers on her shoulder, shrugging it off and struggled to her feet. She quickly wiped her eyes and shakily took a step, nearly collapsing with the effort. Both Kagome and Sango were next to her in a flash, sliding her arms around their shoulders to take off some of the pressure. She cast a side glance at both of them before fixing her eyes back on the ground. She bit her lip. Hard. She could feel the tears coming back.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

"C'mon, let's go."

With Miroku leading the way, they slowly made their way back to the village. Rei kept her eyes on her feet for the entire walk back. She knew that as soon as she looked up, the tears would start again. Their journey was a silent one, though she could feel the stares of the others on her. She could just see their faces, shadowed with worry and concern; a sight she didn't care to see. Instead, she slipped into her own thoughts. _He beat me…No one has ever beaten me before…What is he?_

"Sure took your time, didn't you?"

Rei's head snapped up in fury as she looked up to see the red-robed Inuyasha carelessly splayed along the branches of a tree. She cast a fierce glare in his direction, though it only made the half-demon's grin bigger.

"But that's what happens when you carry _dead weight_ around. Such big words for such a puny woman, that was just about all she had." He laughed loudly. "I mean, it must be tough to carry around something full of so much sh-"

That was the last straw. Rei opened her mouth, tongue armed with the nastiest and foulest language she knew, but was beaten to the punch as Kagome dropped her arm and stepped forward, hands on her hips.

"SIT BOY."

What happened next, Rei could only classify it as divine providence. As soon as Kagome spoke those words, the rosary beads around Inuyasha's neck gave a bright glow and suddenly went heavy around his neck, sending him hurtling to the ground as if he had suddenly been squashed under the enormous weight of a boulder. He continued to sink deeper and deeper into the earth as Kagome fired off more 'Sit' commands before she gave a huff and returned to Rei's side, placing her arm back around her shoulders and pulling her forward.

Rei's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in awe, peeking into the Inuyasha-shaped crater as she was steered around it. She smiled at the absolute justice of the situation and quietly whispered down to him that she hoped he enjoyed the taste of dirt. Suddenly, she felt her back straighten a bit more. Perhaps this day wasn't so bad after all.

After that, the walk back to the village became incredibly easier, and soon Rei was able to walk by herself, completely unsupported as they entered the village limits. 'It's that demon blood,' Miroku had said once she was able to move easily. 'I always forget that you all heal so quickly.' Indeed, the cuts and bruises she had received from her fight with Inuyasha were nothing more than faint lines on her tanned skin. Even her poisoned chest, which he, interestingly enough, took great care not to injure, was nothing more than a dull ache now, a sting here and there.

They were greeted at the hut by the smiling faces of Kaede and Shippo, their arms full of herbs and poultices. The two of them hurried the others inside and sat Rei down in front of a fresh fire, busying themselves with her bandages. It didn't take them long to re-clean and bandage her injury, fussing over the rest of her upon seeing the already healing cuts and bruises from her battle.

"You could've held back a little, Inuyasha. You know she was already hurt!" The smaller fox demon squeaked.

Inuyasha plopped down on the tatami floor with a huff, crossing his arms in irritation. "Injured my ass, she was fine."

Rei's eyebrow arched slightly. "Oh, I believe that sounds like a compliment?"

He shrugged, glancing over at Kagome and tugging at his rosary. "Whatever."

"Even so…" Shippo muttered.

"Do not worry, little one," Rei smiled brightly, rubbing his fiery locks that matched her own. "I am all better. See?" She jumped to her feet and spun around for effect, wincing slightly as her chest throbbed. "And, thanks to your help, I believe I should be on my way now. I have depended on your kindness for far too long."

An explosion of displeasure erupted throughout the hut, as Kagome, Sango and Miroku shot to their feet and Shippo tugged at her borrowed kimono.

"W-What? But you're—"

"You can't, we—"

"Surely you should reconsider—"

"Noo!"

"Good riddance."

"Ahem."

Though light, the gentle noise was enough to silence the room as all eyes focused on Kaede. She stood and walked to a far off cupboard, rifling through it to bring out an armful of bottles. Each was full of a variety of herbs, liquids, and concoctions, all of which she set down in front of them.

"Kagome, your bag please?" She waited patiently as Kagome wasted no time and hurriedly procured a large yellow bag from a nearby cupboard and brought it to her. The old woman started to place each carefully inside, glancing over towards Rei. "I believe it is in your best interest if ye traveled with Kagome and the others. Despite your demonic blood, the poison still needs to be taken care of, and Kagome and Sango are very knowledgeable with what needs to be done. Ye are not yet fully healed, so I believe ye would be better off with protection. I'm sure ye would agree with me, correct?" She smiled as Rei grumbled softly, her face tinged with a light blush. "Inuyasha and Miroku will be most useful in that aspect."

"What about me?" Shippo complained.

"And, you too, Shippo. Of course I would not forget about you." Kaede smiled softly.

Rei shook her head hard, crossing her arms. "No. I cannot allow you to come with me. As I have said, I have relied on your kindness for too long, I cannot ask you to waste your time with such a simple task as accompanying me home."

This time, it was Miroku that stood, quickly moving over and kneeling in front of Rei once again. This time, his grip on her hand was tight.

"Please, Rei. Let us take you home, it's no trouble at all," He smiled up at her. "Besides, it wouldn't be very nice of us to just let you go on your own after all of the trouble Inuyasha caused. Let us make up for his stupidity."

"Hey! Now wait just a minute—"

"I agree!" Shippo interrupted, standing up and thumping his chest. "And I'll protect you, so there's no need to worry about stupid Inuyasha!"

"Shut it, runt!" Inuyasha swatted at the smaller fox demon, missing by inches, and glared as Shippo stuck his tongue out at him.

"Ah…B-But…" Rei stammered.

"C'mon, you wouldn't want to disappoint this face," Kagome picked up Shippo and held him in front of her. "Would you?"

Rei avoided direct eye contact with the devilishly adorable Shippo, feeling her resolve weaken as he used his best puppy eyes on her. After unsuccessfully avoiding his eyes, she finally sighed, her shoulders sinking in defeat.

"Fine…you all can come with me," The room erupted in cheers, though a small huff could be heard from a certain half-demon. "But only halfway! That is all, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

Alright, so it's been a while since I last posted...I've been busy. I've been working on this chapter for a while and finally got around to fine-tuning it. I'm actually pretty happy with how this worked out. So, yay! Hopefully I'll keep up with the flow, I've started to get back into writing and am working on a few other stories, one for Nanowrimo and going back to my HP fanfiction. We'll see how it goes.


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